Always the tone of surprise
by 2nameless2write
Summary: What was Hermione's reaction to Scabbers' disappearance? Why did she follow Ron and Harry when they went to duel Draco in first year? What was written on the engagement ring Ron gave Hermione? How many times did Krum ask Hermione to the Yule Ball before she agreed? These are one-shots based on head cannons about Romione. *Previously 'Romione true facts and cannons'*
1. Malfoy Manor

**Hello all. So… here's a new story! Since all the seven books are written in Harry's POV, we don't get to read a lot about Romione (appart from the constant bickering Harry sees). That's why I though it would be a good idea to write about some of these moments which don't appear in the books. Some of these facts have been mentioned by JK Rowling on interviews and some of them are just Head Cannons. Thanks for giving this a chance and enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I am not J.K Rowling and I do not own any of the characters or scenarios that may be recognized from the Harry Potter universe. (Please don't sue me)**

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 _Fact 1: When Hermione was being tortured by Bellatrix, it was hearing Ron's yells what kept her conscious and gave her strength to keep going on._

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Hermione's P.O.V:

Pain, it was all that she could feel. Agony swept through her as Bellatrix casted, once more, the cruciatus curse on her. She knew that she wouldn't last much longer, she wanted the pain to end, it didn't matter how, she just wanted it to leave. But she wouldn't give Bellatrix the pleasure of knowing she wanted to die, no. She kept screaming, but would never, ever, beg for death. She acknowledged this was her end, her life would be given in order to save her friends although, deep down she knew, they didn't have many chances of surviving, neither Harry nor Ron. Ron, the man she loved and the one who would never know how she felt, but it didn't matter now, she was going to die.

"CRUCIO!" The mad woman said, wand aimed at Hermione's almost lifeless body. She screamed once more, feeling as if her flesh was being ripped apart to pieces, slowly and painfully. Nothing could save her now.

"HERMIONE!" She heard it, a muffled voice coming from the cellar. It was Ron. He was screaming her name, screaming to her, for her. He was her hope, her future, and she realized then, she couldn't give that up. No matter what she was going through, she would never give up, not now. She would fight until the end, for the future, for her future, for Ron.

And so, Bellatrix casted the curse again, but Hermione kept strong. Hearing his voice gave her the confidence she needed. He wasn't giving up, and nor would she. She endured the pain once more, but this time, opposing a resistance which made it fade away quickly. Again, the same word was heard, but she concentrated once more, and the pain left almost immediately.

"Ha! So you think you can stop me mudblood? Well, let's see if this makes you see, that you are not worthy of living." Bellatrix said, as she approached Hermione and knelt beside her. It all went quiet for a few seconds, and Hermione knew it was no good.

A knife, that's what was in the witch's hand, a cursed knife. She was going to kill her, and no confidence or resistance could change that. But, much to her surprise, the weapon wasn't advancing towards her neck, or heart. It was her forearm Bellatrix was aiming for. She was getting closer and Hermione tried to get away, but she was too weak, too powerless. There was nothing she could do but to endure the torture once again. And so, the torture restarted.

Pain once more. She kept screaming, trying to set herself free but there was no escape. Something was being written in her flesh and Hermione knew it would never fade, it was too painful to. But she kept on enduring it, screaming and listening to Ron's words as her arm was being scarred for life. And then, it finished.

No more pain, no more agony, no more insults being thrown at her, and no more Ron. She let a tear leave her eye and fall down her cheek as she read the word in her forearm. Mudblood. That's what she was, that's what she would always be. A worthless, mudblood know-it-all.

"Greyback, you can have her"* Bellatrix announced. Hermione's blood froze. _Not Greyback, no please_ she though as she felt a man walking towards her. No escape now. She had gone through so much pain, just to get killed in the most agonizing and terrifying way.

Then, it all happened so fast. "Noooooooo!" She heard someone scream and spells were being thrown everywhere. A few seconds later her body was being lifted and a knife was put in her throat, supporting her weight.

"Drop your wands. Or she dies"* Bellatrix announced. Hermione heard as the wands of her friends collided with the ground and a wave of desperation took control over her mind. For the millionth time that evening she thought: This is the end.

But, as every other time that though had entered her head, there was something that always made her come back to optimism, this time it had a name: Dobby. Hermione heard as the chandelier above her fell over her, and two strong arms wrapped around her body and brought her close to the elf. She heard some voices around her but was too weak to realize what they were saying, and suddenly, there was an asphyxiation sensation around her and everything went black.

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 _.*Quotes taken from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (I don't know if movie or books, and it is not exactly what they say because I don't remember very well…)_

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 **Well… so this is it. I kind of mixed how the torture scene is represented in the book and in the movie, and I know the Quotes aren't exactly what the characters say, but my books are in catalan so I didn't know what the characters exactly said in english ;). I really hope you enjoyed, and if you did please follow or favourite the story. If you know some canon facts or head canon facts please tell me. And well, last of all, please review and tell me if I did mistakes or what your thoughts about the story are, it really means a lot and makes me happy ;). (And who doesn't want to collaborate on a person's happiness?).So… yeah… that's all.**

 **Au revoir!**


	2. Dirt

**Hello! So, this is chapter two! I have never actually written a scene like this, so I don't know if it is good, but there is always a first time for everything ;). Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Disclaimer: I am not J.K Rowling (If I were, my writings would we waaaay better) and I don't own any of the characters, or any of the scenerios that may be recognized from the Harry Potter universe.**

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 _Fact 2: Ron checks his nose for dirt every morning…it became a habit._

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Ron's P.O.V:

A ray of light entered the room, reaching Ron's face and making him open his eyes. He soon realized there was a mass of brown bushy hair in his face, and recalled the events of the last day. He and Hermione had moved into a flat together. They had been planning this ever since Christmas vacation, so that when she finished her last year at Hogwarts, they could start this new stage of their relationship, living together.

He moved his arm from underneath her and turned around in order to see what time it was. 6:15. Strange, he had never woken up that early. He tried to go to sleep again, but realized he wasn't sleepy anymore, so, with a lot of care, he slid out of the bed.

Not really used to where all the furniture in their new room was, he bumped his foot into the corner of the closet and cursed silently. This made Hermione stir, and he froze in his tracks, afraid he had awakened her. _She is so beautiful when she sleeps_ he though as he stared at her sleeping form, waiting to see if she showed any signs of waking. After a few tense seconds he muttered "Coast clear", and opened the closet. He took some comfy clothes (he had the day off at work) and headed towards the bathroom to take a quick shower. Once he was finished, he got dressed and looked in the mirror.

His red hair was a mess. Ever since the end of the war, his mother had been insisting he cut it and finally, a few weeks ago, she had won the everlasting argument. Now it was similar to the hair style he had in third year, hair sticking out of everywhere. Once he was done with the famous Weasley hair, he shaved, brushed his teeth and splashed water on his face. To finish his morning ritual, he got close to the mirror and looked at his nose, trying to spot sings of dirt on it.

"Why are you looking at your nose?" A voice asked. He turned around, it was Hermione. She was wearing his Chudley Canons shirt and some shorts. Her hand was relying on the door frame and she yawned as she smiled. He returned the smile, grateful that they could coexist in the same house without making things awkward or start bickering over silly things, but still, it had only been a few hours…

"Well, checking for dirt, of course." Ron answered, in a very mater-of-factly-ish voice.

"And why would you do that?" She asked, stepping closer.

"Well" He said, placing his hands around her waist "because it is what I do every morning since the first time you told me I had some on my nose." He finished, giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"Hmm… I had such an effect on you ever since the first day huh?" Hermione said in a teasing voice.

"Yeah… bossing me around like a mini mom" At that statement, Hermione slapped him on the chest playfully.

"Oi! What was that for?!" He complained, raising his arms in mock defence.

"I am not a mini mom! I was just helping you, if it wasn't for me you probably would have failed every single exam. And, I didn't tell you to clean your nose every morning, that, you did on your own."

"True story" He answered, and leaned in for a kiss. She responded, moving her arms around his neck. Too early for his liking, she pulled away, leaving Ron with a confused look in his face. But, before he could ask why she had pulled away so quickly, she said.

"I need to clean my teeth remember?"

"But you haven't even had breakfast yet!" Ron responded, in simulate indignation.

"Well, it's a habit I have. And by the way, don't act like it's something new to you because I saw you do it before."

Now, he was shocked. How long had she been looking at him? He surely wasn't that interesting to watch.

"Okay, this is getting creepy. How long have you been standing in there?"

"Since you started shaving. And why can't I watch _my_ boyfriend while he gets ready in _our_ bathroom in _our_ flat?" She asked, emphasizing those three words.

"Well, as much as those words may sound amazingly good in that sentence, it still is kind of freaky. But you have to understand that if you do that, I am allowed to stare as well." He answered, giving her a loop-sided grin combined with a mischievous look.

"Ron!" She complained.

"Hey, I think it is a fair deal"

"Okay, have it your way. Happy?"

"Loads, now can you please hurry and clean your teeth?" He asked impatiently.

Hermione didn't answer, but gave him a small smile and slowly moved towards the sink under the mirror. She took some time looking for the toothpaste, and then started brushing her teeth, as slowly as possible.

"That" Ron stated "Is just cruel, you better make up for it" He said.

"Aha" Was her only response.

Once she was finished with her tortoise-like torture, he turned to face him. This time, when they kissed, he put his hand at the back of her head so she couldn't pull away, making her smile against his lips.

"By the way" She said when they parted "You still have dirt on your nose, right there" She pointed the spot where the supposed dirt was, and walked away toward the kitchen. Ron, startled by the sudden statement, faced the mirror to look at his face. As always, she was right. There was some dirt on the right side of his nose. He cleaned it off and looked at himself in the mirror once again, saying "You're a bloody lucky bloke"

 **Soooooooo… what do you think? I really hope you enjoyed and, remember, if you did please follow, favourite the story or review. It takes very little time and effort and it really is appreciated. It also makes my mood better so, if you want the stories to be good, you know what to do (I am just joking, but it really does make me happy ;).) I have nothing else to say so, au revoir!**


	3. Yule ball

**Hello all! Here is chapter three! It is much longer that the other ones I have posted, but I had to write three different scenes in there so… yeah. To all Bulgarian people who read this: I tried to make Krum's accent as real as possible by reading a website about the Bulgarian English accent and how to represent it on paper, but as much as I tried to understand it, I just didn't get it. In the end I wrote Krum's accent the way J.K Rowling does, which I know is not very accurate. Please don't take any offence.  
Also, I think Hermione already had a crush on Ron by third year, that's why she acts how she does in this one-shot ;). This is all, enjoy!**

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 _Fact 3: Krum asked Hermione to the Yule Ball three times until she finally said yes. She kept stalling because she hoped Ron would ask her._

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Hermione's P.O.V:

Hermione's first reaction when the Yule Ball was announced had been excitement. She thought it was an opportunity for her to tell Ron how she felt, to spend some time together without Harry, like the first trip they took to Hogsmeade. This feeling though was quickly replaced with insecurity. What if he didn't feel the same way? What if all those hints she had been noticing in him were just product of her imagination. And worst of all, what if he didn't even ask her? No, she would wait. She was sure he felt the same way too, just because of how he looked at her or the way he treated her. Ron didn't act the same way around her than around Harry, and she had even caught him giving her stolen glances once or twice. She would wait.

The days passed by and Ron hadn't asked her yet. She felt annoyed and betrayed, he hadn't even mentioned the Ball in any of their conversations. Hermione started thinking he didn't like her and only saw her as one of his best mates which, to her disgust, was affecting her daily mood. To top that off, the place she usually went to when she felt the tears in her eyes every time the conversation ended and he hadn't said anything, was filled with giggling girls spying shamelessly at that quidditch guy Ron adored so much. Victor something.

In fact, this is where she was now, trying to take Ron out of her mind and concentrating on the book she had in front of her. She kept wondering if she had been naïve on thinking he would ever ask her. But she came to the conclusion that maybe he just wasn't ready and he would do it later. A little bit more cheerful now, she began gaining focus on the book she was reading. Unfortunately the giggling girls started giggling again and she had the temptation to look up and ask them, no, shout at them to close their bloody freaking mouths. But, as the good student she was, she resisted that temptation. Just as she was getting concentrated on her book once again, she noticed someone sitting on the chair next to her. Hermione's heart skipped a beat thinking it was Ron, but when she heard a voice coming from that person, the thought totally vanished, leaving her sad once again.

"Hello, can I seat here?" The man said. He had a strange accent, and Hermione guessed he must be from the Durmstrang School, as she was used to hearing the French accent when her relatives came to visit, and it definitely wasn't like the one she had just heard. ( **I don't know where her relatives are from so I just made that up** ).

"Hem… hello?" The man asked again. This time, she looked up and recognized who it was. That Krum guy. Maybe that's who Ron wanted to ask to the Ball. _No, he wouldn't. Why am I thinking this? What's happening to me lately!_ She though.

Realizing she still hadn't answered, she talked. "Hum… no, you can sit if you want. You are that quidditch player… hem… Victor Krum right?" Hermione asked. She wasn't pretending she didn't know who he was, she really just knew his name.

"Yes, I am. You don't know a lot about quidditch I presume?"

"I don't enjoy it as much as most of my friends" She answered. Her mind drifted once again to Ron, how he adored the man she was talking to right now. Hermione was sure he would kill to be in this situation. She was drifted away of her painful thoughts as Krum started talking again.

"Vell… you know my name, but vot is yours?" It was a sudden change of topic which made Hermione curious. _Is it me or he is nervous?_ She though, as her gaze drifted over to his hands and fingers, which were moving nonstop.

"Oh yeah, sorry. My name is Hermione Granger"

"Can you repeat please, I didn't get it quite right" Krum asked, with a confused gaze. Hermione didn't know why he asked, because from her point of view her name was easy. Yes, it may be different and uncommon, but it was easy to pronounce.

"Hermione Granger" She answered, more slowly this time. He still had a puzzled gaze, as if he was trying to work something out.

"Her-My-Own-Ninny…?" He tried. Hermione started laughing. Okay, maybe her name was kind of difficult, but no one had ever mispronounced it the way Krum had. From her point of view, it was hilarious. She noticed that Krum had started laughing as well, very conscious of his mistake. They continued like this until Mrs. Prince gave them a killing look and motioned for them to shut up.

"Sorry" Began Hermione a few seconds later "It's just that no one has ever pronounced my name like this. People get it right, at least when I say it."

"Vell, I guess that it is because in Bulgaria ve are not used to this kind of letters mixed together. I don't think I vill ever get it right." He started playing with his fingers again, as an uncomfortable silence made its way through the situation. That silent, though, was broken when Hermione asked something which had been going through her mind in the last few days, when she had seen him in the library almost every time she came in here.

"Hem… do you like this library? I mean, I have seen you plenty of times in here. Is there one in Durmstrang?"

"Vell" He answered "Ve do haff one, although it is smaller than this one and I don't go there very often. But I do visit this one because… vell… I haff been trying to ask you if you vould like to go vith me to the Yule Ball."

Hermione was shocked, she had never expected anyone to ask her to the Ball (apart from Ron, but it was a wish more that a fact now), and especially not someone who, according to Ron, was so famous in the wizarding sports world. Her first impulse was to say yes, but then she thought that maybe it was better to decline the offer and wait for Ron ask her. Yes, that was what she would do, she trusted him.

"Herm-Own-Ninny?" Asked Krum, waking Hermione the second time that day from her thoughts. Fortunately, she had already made her decision.

"I am sorry Krum, but I can't"

"Oh, you already agreed to go vith someone else…" He sounded disappointed, but his expression wasn't much different, as he was good in hiding his massive disappointment.

"No, it's not that I just… it is kind of difficult to explain" Hermione tried to comfort him, after all she had never liked hurting other people (apart from those who didn't treat her very well, those didn't really matter).

"I understand. And please call me Victor." His voice had changed once again. Now it had a little bit of hope added to it. "Vell… thanks eithervay, I hope we can talk again?

"Yes, that would be good."

And that said, he walked out of the library, followed, as usual by the giggling girls.

* * *

Two days after that, Ron hadn't asked Hermione yet, and she was in the library once again, this time immersed in a book called _'The history of the Tri Wizarding Tournament'_. It explained how it had changed over the years and the winners of each and every one of the tournaments. Her mood had lightened a bit since Victor had asked her because at least she knew people noticed her, they noticed she was a girl, and not another bloke who spent his time with Ron and Harry.

When she finished the book, she stood up to give it back to Mrs. Prince when she bumped into someone.

"Oh! I am so sorry" She exclaimed looking up "Victor! Hi, what are you doing here?"

"I just came to see if I could talk to you, but I see you are leaving." Victor answered.

"Well, I was just going to give this book back and look for another, but we can talk if you want." She moved toward the desk Mrs. Prince was sitting behind and gave her the book, then she returned with Victor, who pulled out a chair for her to sit in and then sat on the one next to her.

"Thanks" Hermione said while she sat. No one had ever done this for her and she was startled that a quidditch player of all people would do it, given her experiences with the players of the Gryffindor team. (Who were not exact gentlemen).

"Herm-My-Own-Ninny, can I ask you something?"

"Of course" Hermione responded, afraid she was going to have to let him down once more. Ron hadn't asked her yet, true. But she would not brake her decision.

"Hem… I know I asked this before already but…" Hermione's blood froze, _here we go again_ she thought "Vould you go to the Yule Ball vith me?"

"I am sorry Victor, but I have to say no." She replied sadly. It looked as if he was going to ask something else but she already knew what it was and answered in advance "And no, I haven't agreed to go with someone else."

"Okay, I understand, again." He gave her a small smile. "I haff another question though. Is there some kind of giant creature living in the lake near Hogwarts? Because I think I saw something strange yesterday."

"Yes" Hermione answered, glad there was no awkward silence "It is a giant squib. I read it has been living there for one thousand years, when a student gave it too much growing potion."

They continued talking until the free period ended and Hermione had to go to transfiguration, where she met with Harry and Ron.

"Hem… Hermione." Started Ron. Hermione felt shivers go down her spine, was he going to ask her? "You seem happier than this morning, what happened?" _How can he be such a git!_ She though as she stormed into the class, leaving a confused Ron with a question on his mouth. _So close!_ He though.

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It was a week before the Yule Ball and Hermione was in the library (as always). This time there was no book in front of her, she was just thinking, with her hands covering her face. _A week! Just a week until the Yule Ball and he hasn't asked yet. Maybe he won't. Aww how could I have been so naïve! Like he would ever want to go with me!_ Her thoughts were interrupted by some giggling girls entering the library. Here they came again. _Why!_ She wondered _Why me!_?

For being the brightest witch of her age, she hadn't put two and two together and realized that if the giggling girls were there, I meant that Victor Krum had probably entered the library. Not that she cared tough, she really wanted Ron to be the one to come in, but that wasn't the case. He wasn't going to ask her to the Yule Ball and she knew it. Then, she noticed a hand on her shoulder.

"Herm-My-Own-Ninny, are you okay?" It was Victor. _He really is a good person_ she though. _I have rejected him two times and still he continues to talk to me. That is a gentleman_.

"Oh hi Victor, I didn't see you coming"

"Vell, you can clearly hear me. There are some girls who follow me everyvhere, and they are giggling all the time, it is really annoying."

"Then why don't you ask one of them to the Yule Ball, then maybe they will leave you alone?" Hermione suggested, although she quickly realized it probably wasn't a good idea. If they giggled just when they saw him, what would happen if one of them actually went with him to the Ball? She was going to take back her suggestion but was too late, as Victor had already started talking.

"I don't vant to go vith them, I vant to go vith you. I probably know your asvwer and I apologize if this vill bother you but… Herm-My-Own-Ninny, vill you go to the dance vith me? If you still don't have a date, of course."

This time, Hermione thought it through. Ron clearly wasn't going to ask her, and she did feel comfortable enough around Victor to go to the Ball with him and not make it awkward.

"Yes, that would be great" She answered, smiling at him. He smiled back and took her hand, kissing it lightly. "Perfect, now if you vill excuse me, professor Karkaroff vanted to talk to me earlier and told me to meet him around seven. See you at the Ball?"

"See you at the Ball" She answered, and he walked away. She finally had a date to the Yule Ball, and it was someone who she considered a friend. Not a really close friend and definitely not a best friend, but a friend.

 **There was chapter 3! Sorry again for Krum's accent. Also I apologise if the amount of time between the announcement of the Yule Ball and the date of the actual festivity isn't the same as in the books or movies. As always please review, favourite the story or follow if you liked it (if you don't want to it's okay, but it really is appreciated). Also please let me know if I made some mistakes (whether they are grammatical and such or related to Harry Potter). If you want me to write about a particular fact you have in mind, don't hesitate in asking. This said, au revoir!**


	4. Shell Cottage

**Hello all! Here is chapter 4. I have been trying to make the time between posts as small as possible, but school is starting soon and I am afraid I won't be able to post much, seeing as the amount of work I have to do will surely increase a lot, but let's hope not too much ;). I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: I am not J. (That's quite obvious...^-^) and I don't own any characters from the Harry Potter world (I just wish I did). Please don't sue me.**

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 _Fact 3: Ron promised Hermione he would never leave her side again while she was recovering at Shell Cottage._

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Ron's P.O.V:

 _How can I have let this happen? Why Hermione? Why not me?_ Ron thought as he ran towards Shell Cottage, Hermione in his arms. His legs were trembling and his arms were sore, but he didn't care. All he wanted right now was for Hermione to survive. He looked down at her without stopping. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was half opened, she was very pale and some blood could be spotted in her neck, dripping from the cut she had there. Her chest was rising very slowly, and he wished it would never stop. _This is all my fault! If I had just fought harder, if I hadn't been in that bloody cellar all the time, I could have gotten to her sooner._ He kept blaming himself, not knowing that it was him who had saved her life.

When he was a few meters from the cottage, Bill came out of the door and hurried towards them, a panicked expression plastered in his face.

"Ron! What happened?! Oh Merlin is she…?" He drifted off, afraid of what he was about to say.

"No, but she is very weak, please Bill you have to help her, please!" Ron begged.

"Of course, lay her down on the bed in the guests' room. But, you will have to tell me what happened"

"I can't, sorry" Ron answered quickly eager to get in the house.

"Ron, you have to! I don't care what Dumbledore told Harry, I have to know!"

"I don't bloody care! Look Bill, Hermione is injured and needs help. Telling you what happened is way far from my top priority! Ron shouted. He couldn't believe his brother of all people would act like that when Hermione's almost lifeless body was in his arms. Not waiting for an answer, he got inside and ran upstairs until he found the room he was looking for. Once there, he put Hermione on the bed and sat on the chair next to it. A few seconds later Fleur entered the room.

"What 'appened?" She asked with concern, looking at Hermione.

"I can't tell you, I'm sorry"

"Ronald, I don't want to know where you were, why zis 'appened or 'ow it 'appened. I just need you to tell me what zey did to 'Ermione so we can 'elp 'er." Fleur explained. She really meant what she had said, and although her healing abilities weren't the same has the ones of a Healer in St. Mungo's, she wasn't the worst at it and she was determined to do her best.

"Well, I wasn't really there but I know they tortured her with the cruciatus curse several times, and she has a cut on her throat made by a cursed knife. I… I don't know what else they did to her, I just… hope there isn't anything else…" Ron couldn't finish his sentence as he felt tears in his eyes. He quickly blinked them away. He hardly ever cried, and when he did, no one would see him and he didn't want this to be the first time in years.

"Don't worry Ronald, she is safe now. I zink I know some potions to 'elp with internal damage that the curse might 'ave made. Oh, and please Ronald, you 'ave to leave.

"What!? No! I won't leave her side!" He answered, scandalized. When had come back he had promised that he would never leave Hermione again, this was no time to break the promise.

"I need to change 'er Ronald, if not it will be more dificult to 'eal 'er."

"Oh, right, sorry. But please let me in when you are done." Ron answered, a bit unsure about his decision. Then, he took Hermione's hand and kissed it softly to say goodbye. She stirred and opened her eyes.

"R-Ron? Where are we?" She asked, her voice was weak and cracking with every word. "Am I dead?"

"No Hermione, we are safe now" He whispered. He couldn't keep control over his tears anymore and they started to fall freely down his face. "Dobby brought us to Bill and Fleur's cottage, it is all over now."

Hermione tried to get up, but winced in pain and stayed still. Ron still couldn't believe it. He had heard her voice again, he had seen her eyes open once more and had seen her move. This made Ron have a feeling of hope he had lost when Harry had said You-Know-Who's name. Then he remembered they were still in Shell Cottage and Hermione needed to be healed, so he sat up and looked at her.

"Hermione, I have to leave for a few minutes so that Fleur can help you get clean. I promise I will be right back when you call me" Ron said with a concerned voice. He really didn't want to leave her, even if it was just for some minutes. But he understood it wouldn't be proper to be there while she changed. He headed towards the door and once he had gone through it, he closed it. He sat on the floor with his back on wall and closed his eyes.

Ten minutes later Fleur came out of the room looking somehow relieved.

"Ronald, I 'ave to get some potions and I will be back in some minutes. You can go in." She informed. Ron got up and entered the room.

Hermione was in a sitting position on the bed, her back against some cushions. She was wearing what Ron guessed was one of Fleur's night gowns and a really thick bandage could be seen on her left forearm. She wasn't as pale as she was before but he could still see the dark bags under her eyes, which were closed.

He sat on the chair next to her bed and took her hand in his. At his touch, Hermione opened her eyes and looked at him, smiling weakly.

"Hey" She whispered.

"Hey" Ron said softly "How are you feeling?"

"Better than before, but it is still pretty awful" She answered. Her voice wasn't as weak as when she had talked to him a few minutes earlier which made Ron a little more relieved. But still, there was an uneasy feeling in his stomach. _Guilt, that's what it is_ he thought _after all, I could have spared her that, and I didn't try hard enough…_

"Look Hermione, I…" He took a deep breath "I am so sorry about what happened, if I had just fought harder I would have been able to… I don't know… maybe you wouldn't be like this I just…" And then Ron sighted as the truth hit him. "I wish I could have done something for you because all I have done this last year is disappoint you, I even left you and Harry!. Hearing you and not being able to do anything about it was agonizing and I just wish I could have been there for you, but I wasn't…" Tears were falling down his face once again. Ron looked at her in the eye for the first time since he had started talking and was surprised to see that Hermione had silent tears rushing down her cheeks as well, but her expression was far from disappointment or anger. It was caring and full of love.

"Ron… you were with me, through all of it. Hearing you calling for me was what kept me sane. You kept me fighting, you are the reason why I am here. So don't ever pity yourself because you are one of the bravest man I have ever met. And I don't care if you left us because I understand that the locket affected you most. I have forgiven you Ron, even if I don't really show it, I have." She closed her eyes when she finished, exhausted. Ron was overwhelmed. Hearing Hermione say that had warmed his heart and doubled the number of tears his eyes were letting go. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but decided against it as now was not the time or the place.

"I will never let something like that happen to you again, ever. I will never leave you again, I promise." Ron said instead. He kissed her hand again and noticed how she squeezed his.

"Is everyone okay?" Hermione asked, fear present in her voice and eyes still closed.

"I…I don't know…" Ron answered, he was beginning to worry, realising he hadn't made sure that no one was injured. "When we arrived I immediately brought you here."

Suddenly, as if he had been hearing the conversation, Bill entered the room. Ron got scared at his expression, one that he had only seen in his older brother's face at the end of the Tri Wizarding tournament when Harry and Cedric had appeared with the cup, the Hufflepuff student, dead.

"What happened?"

"Ron, Hermione… the elf, Dobby, is dead. Harry said he was stabbed in the chest with a dagger." Bill informed.

"Oh no!" Hermione gasped. Her hold on Ron's hand tightened as tears started falling once again from her eyes. Ron kneeled next to the bed and hugged her carefully, afraid of hurting her. Soon he felt a wet spot on his shoulder, but he didn't withdraw from the hug, Hermione needed him. He looked at Bill over Hermione's shoulder and Bill nodded and turned to leave. Just as he was about to leave Ron's sight though, he turned around.

"Harry is digging a grave on a little hill a few meters away from here." He said and then left.

A minute later, Hermione withdrew herself from the hug and looked at Ron. "Ron" She said "Could you help me stand? I would like to go to that hill Bill mentioned"

"Wait Hermione, I know you want to go and I understand. But you have to realize that you are still too weak to go. I will stay here if you want and help you when you are able to walk but now it's too early. Besides, Fleur said she needed to get some potions and she will be back here soon. How about we stay here until the potions have done effect and then go help Harry?"

"Okay" She agreed. Ron was a little taken aback, she had never agreed so easily to something he suggested. "But" _Ha! I wouldn't have gotten away with this that easy_ he thought as she continued "you have to go help Harry. He shouldn't do this alone."

"Are you sure? Hermione I don't want to leave you alone again. I promised you I wouldn't and I won't."

"Ron, I will be alright. You yourself said it, Fleur will be here any minute. Once the potions have taken effect I will come" She said. Ron frowned at her last statement, he didn't want her to make any effort after what she had been through. "And you won't be able to stop me" She added when she noticed his reaction.

"Alright, but don't make any excessive effort please" Ron said. He kissed her head and went away.

He headed towards the hill, finally realizing that no one was safe. People had already died, but he didn't really know them. Now, Dobby was gone and Hermione had almost followed him, and it all had hit him. Not only bad guys died in wars, hell maybe he would die! But it would all be worth it. For a better future.

 **This is it! I am sorry if I didn't get the French accent quite right, I just tried to do it like J. and I may have missed something. If you liked it please review, favourite or follow. Please if you have noticed some mistakes (Harry Potter related or others…) tell me and if you want me to write about one fact in particular don't hesitate and ask me. Thanks a lot for reading and to those who reviewed, followed or favorited. Au revoir!**


	5. Boggart

**Hello! I am sorry for the delay, but my computer decided to upgrade the system to windows 10 yesterday and it took a lot of time. Well, I hope you like this, although I have to warn you it is not excellent or genius. And by the way, I know the points of view aren't exactly what they should be but they do kind of focus on one person more than the others, so for now that's how I will interprete the meaning of P.O.V. So… withouth further ado… enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing (except for the spell** _ **tollere pulverem**_ **).**

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 _Fact 5: Ron's boggart changed from spiders to seeing Hermione in pain._

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Ron's P.O.V: (2nd of August 1998)

"So… Harry, where do we begin?" Ron asked. Harry, Hermione, Ginny and he were at Grimmauld place, cleaning a little bit so that he and Harry could move in there while they did auror training and the girls were back at Hogwarts.

"I say Ginny and I start at the living room and you two clean the kitchen. Then we will take care of the other rooms upstairs and to finish the basement." Harry answered with a smirk. It was obvious he was using this as an excuse to be with Ginny, but Ron put his overprotectiveness to one side and nodded, after all, he did want to spend some time alone with Hermione as well.

"Sounds good to me" Hermione answered, taking hold of Ron's hand. "C'mon, the earlier we start the earlier we will finish." And she dragged him to the kitchen.

"So… where do we start cleaning?" She asked him once they were there.

"Are you serious? Do we really have to clean 'Mione? Can't we enjoy this alone time in a better way?" Ron pouted. _Typical Hermione_ he thought.

"Of course I am serious! This is where you will be living Ron. Now start cleaning so we can finish before those two and then we will see what we can do." She ordered. Ron didn't have a way out and he knew it, but maybe he could modify the deal she herself had made.

"Okay… but can I get some payment in advanced? You know, to make sure the work is worth it?" He tried. He gave Hermione the loop-sided grin he knew she couldn't resist and put his arms around her waist.

"You're an arse Ronald Weasley" She teased, moving her hands up his chest and around his neck. "But the thing is my payment is limited, and the more you get now the less you will get later. So as a recommendation I suggest you… how do I put it…" She was leaning closer making Ron think he had won the little battle. He was too enchanted to realise the mischievous look in her eyes. "Move your arse and start cleaning!" Hermione snapped, pulling away from him and taking out her wand. Ron stood still for a second, until he realised what had happened. _Stupid brain of mine! I'm never falling for that one again_ he thought.

"Now…" Hermione began with a smirk on her face "How about you dust the top drawers and I do the lower ones?"

"Fine, whatever you want" Ron said, not happy about the result of his not-so-brilliant plan to have a snogging session with Hermione. _I will just have to work for it I guess…_

"Oh, and do you know the cleaning spell?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"How am I supposed to know it?! Whenever mum made us clean we were under age so we couldn't use magic and It's not like they taught it to us in charms" He retorted, confident with his answer. That confidence though vanished when he saw Hermione's face. "They did teach it at charms, didn't they?" He asked in a defeated tone.

"Yes, they did. If you had payed a little more attention in class maybe we could have started by now which means you are losing time…" She teased. "Now listen, the spell is _tollere pulverem,_ and you just have to point at the place you want to clean. It only affects an area of 15x15 inches, so make sure you don't leave any spots."

"Yes mum" Ron sighted dramatically. His joke was returned by a glare from Hermione so he just smiled and got to his work

Five minutes later Ron was almost done with the top drawers. They had been working in silence ever since Hermione had told him what to do and they kept stealing glances at each other from time to time. Suddenly, when Hermione touched the only cupboard she had left to clean, it started to quiver and shake.

"Whoa!" She exclaimed. Ron moved his gaze away from the drawer he was cleaning and looked at her, confused.

"What is it? Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.

"Yeah, it's just that this cupboard started shaking. Maybe there is something in there, a boggart or something like that." She replied. Ron stepped closer and sat on his knees facing the cupboard.

"So… we will just have to get rid of it." Ron suggested. He noticed Hermione's frightened face and pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry, It's just a boggart. We confronted them in 3rd year remember? He said to her hair. Hermione pulled back some seconds later and looked at him in the eye, not so scared.

"I know, but this one will be bad. We have been through so much and I am a hundred and ten percent sure mine is not McGonagall saying I failed all my classes anymore. It will be worse, and I know it has something to do with you…" She let a tear scape her eyes and Ron hugged her once more. He hated seeing Hermione cry, it broke his heart to see her in pain.

"Then if you want I will go first. Mine is no better either, I haven't seen it but it has to be something bad, bloody hell I might even cry!" Ron joked. He was trying to make her feel better although he knew his last statement had been true. He had a guess about what his worse fear was and he was certain it would be very painful face the boggart. But he would do it for Hermione.

Ron was brought from his reverie by Hermione's voice. "Okay, but be certain that I won't let you do it alone. We will face it together, that way it will be easier." She suggested. Ron nodded and got up, offering his hand. She took it and was on her feet seconds later.

"Ready?" Ron asked "Let me be one step forward so it is mine the one which appears okay?" Hermione just nodded and took a step backwards. She gave him a comforting look and moved her eyes to look at the door of the cupboard.

"Here we go" He muttered to himself. With a wrist movement the little door opened, and black smoke came out. Ron was shocked for a moment. Was his worse fear black fog? His question though, was quickly answered when the smoke started morphing into two figures. There, lying on the floor was Hermione, screaming and crying. Next to her was Bellatrix Lestrange with her wand aimed at the body on the ground.

Ron stood frozen. He was witnessing Hermione's torture once again, only this time it wasn't only her screams, he could see what Bellatrix was doing to her. He felt as if he couldn't move, he tried to, but his body wouldn't let him, he was too shocked. Of course he had anticipated his boggart would be related to Hermione somehow, like something similar to what the locket had showed him, but he hadn't expected this.

He watched as Bellatrix casted the curse once again and Hermione started screaming and begging for death. Then, the psycho witch looked at him with a wicked smile and casted the killing curse on the boggart Hermione. Her body stopped moving and her face became expressionless. Ron's eyes filled with tears as he casted the ridikulus spell, making Bellatrix lean over Hermione and getting scared by the latter, who had only been playing dead. Soon, the boggart vanished leaving Ron and Hermione hugging in the middle of the kitchen.

"Don't worry love" Hermione said, trying to comfort him "I am here and that woman is dead, your own mother had the pleasure to end her life. That won't happen again, don't worry. And thanks for facing that boggart for me, you were very brave."

"Thanks Hermione" Ron said pulling away, but still holding her by the waist. He suddenly felt the need to apologise for his mistakes, to make sure she knew how sorry he felt. "And I am so sorry I left, so sorry I wasn't there for you."

"You are very thick, aren't you?" Hermione said, chuckling lightly "I already told you I don't care, what matters is that you are here now and that we are together." Ron pulled her into a hug for the fourth time that day as a thought came into his mind.

"Now, about my payment, I think you should pay me some extra for facing a boggart and for handling a spell I hadn't used in my life so well" He smiled at her and she returned the action.

"Very fair, very fair indeed" Hermione answered as she leaned in closer, this time not stopping until their lips touched. She kissed him and Ron returned the kiss with passionately. They continued like this for a few minutes until they heard a cough coming from the door. The couple instantly parted, gasping for air.

Harry and Ginny were standing in the doorway, smiling teasingly. Ron's ears went red and Hermione's cheeks blushed.

"Sooo…." Harry began "Enjoying the cleaning I see"

"Sod off" Ron retorted "We have actually cleaned the kitchen, I bet you anything it is better that the living room"

"I doubt that Ronnie" Ginny said, grinning mischievously "Unless the both of you, we actually invested our time in cleaning"

"We did clean it!" Hermione intervened "Just because you were the ones who walked in on us doesn't mean you two weren't doing the same." This time it was their turn to blush.

"Let's leave this conversation shall we" Harry suggested "I think we should take a break, it is almost lunch time. Do you want to floo to the Leaky Cauldron and eat there, I am afraid the fridge is empty."

"You tell me Harry, Hermione made me throw everything it had to the bin. She said it wasn't in a good condition" Ron said, looking at Hermione. She smiled at him and gave him a peck on the lips.

"Okay, okay, enough of _that_. Can we get going now? Ginny asked making look as if she was sick.

They all headed towards the fireplace and flooed to the leaky cauldron. Once there they sat in a booth and talked animatedly until the food arrived. The boggart incident was completely forgotten.

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 **This is it. I hope you liked it and if you did please review, favourite or follow (you took the time to read so why not to review?). The spell (which isn't in the movie or books) is the Latin for the Spanish words 'elimina polvo' which basically mean eliminate dust…I think. Also I know the ending isn't good, but I couldn't find any other way, my brain got stuck in there, so this is all I had. And the last thing I have to say is that if you have one head canon or canon in mind and want me to write about it don't hesitate and ask. This is all! Au revoir.**


	6. Deluminator

**Hello everyone. I am so sorry it took me so long for me to post this, I have been really busy and it has been difficult to write. I hope you do not get angry with me and continue reading. I will try to post more often if I can.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't think it is necessary for me to say I do not own Harry Potter *sniff*, as it is quite obvious. It all belongs to our goddess J. K. Rowling ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

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 _Fact 6: Ron always keeps the Deluminator in his pocket, just in case. He knows that Hermione will always be able to call upon him._

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Ron's P.O.V:

Ron was awaken by the sound of his alarm. Not wanting to wake Hermione, he took his wand from the nightstand and tapped the clock, making the noise stop. He was about to go to sleep again when he remembered what day it was. Today he was going on an auror mission with Harry and two more colleagues for four weeks. Their superior had told them that they would be living as muggles in Glasgow trying to locate some Death Eaters who were still causing trouble, even though Voldemort had fallen nearly three years ago.

Last night he had decided he would wake up early in order to surprise Hermione with breakfast on the bed, trying to make up for his absence the following four weeks. He got out of bed silently and headed towards the kitchen, where he started to cook. He prepared some French toast - Hermione's favourite – and scrambled eggs and fried eight strings of bacon and two sausages. When everything was placed neatly on a tray, he started moving towards their bedroom.

Now, part two of his plan was a little bit trickier. Hermione was currently in a delicate state with work. She was part of the department of Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures, fighting for house elves rights. Basing on what she had told Ron, most of her co-workers agreed with S.P.E.W but of course, there were some purebloods families who were trying to destroy her project. Because of that, she had been acting quite moody when she was home, especially in the mornings, so now Ron was left with the not easy task of waking her up with enough subtlety for her not to spat at him for waking her up too early or not respecting her sleeping hours.

With a lot of care, he laid down next to Hermione – leaving the tray on his nightstand – and snuggled her close. This didn't wake her up so he planted a kiss on her forehead. She still had her eyes closed, so he kissed her chastely on the lips, receiving the reaction he had been waiting for. She snuggled close to him and opened her eyes, tilting her head upward so she could see his face.

"Morning, sleep well?" Ron asked softly. He most certainly didn't want to leave while she was angry at him – as that was what happened last time and he hadn't been concentrating at all, which earned him some extra work – so he was trying to act very sweet around her just in case.

"Yeah…" Hermione answered, yawning. "But just because I had you with me, and now you are leaving for one month…" _Oh no, not the puppy face please_ he thought as Hermione gave him a look she knew he couldn't resist, but he had to be strong.

"I know, but I need to do this, it is my job remember?" Ron said. This time he avoided looking directly at her when he spoke, afraid she would be able to convince him to stay, although deep down he knew she would never do it unless it was completely necessary.

"By the way, I made you breakfast, French toast with scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages." He was trying to change the conversation into something more cheerful than leaving, luckily for him, his plan kind of worked.

"Hoping this will make up for you absence eh? Well you didn't need to, I know this job is what you like doing and as long as you come back to me, I am okay with it." Hermione answered, trying to get up. Ron though, was doing his best to keep her close to him, or at least to avoid her leaving the bed, as breakfast was right there with them.

"Ron! Please let me go, breakfast remember?" She screamed. She was starting to get angry and Ron knew better than to let her temper rise, so he released her, but not after letting her know where the breakfast was. At that statement, she put herself in a sitting position and Ron followed. He took the tray of food from the nightstand and put it on both their laps.

"Thank you, I'll miss you." Hermione said as she ate her scrambled eggs.

"I know, I will too. But just think about our future when you feel lonely okay? Think about how ruggedly handsome I will be at our wedding." Joked Ron. This earned him a playful smack on the shoulder followed by a very unHermione-ish giggle

"Oi! What did I do to you? I only said the truth" He chuckled. Wanting to make her laugh again, he yawned, stretched and put an arm around her shoulders.

"You have reduced yourself to muggle flirting technique huh?" Hermione teased recognising the action from the movies she had made him watch on some Saturday nights. "Now who is the one paying attention to the romance muggles movies?"

"Just getting into character. I need to live as a muggle for a month, may as well learn how to act like one around my lady" Ron replied smirking. They went into a comfortable silence while eating their breakfast until the watch Ron's parents had given him for his 17th birthday illuminated, announcing he had to get ready.

"Hmp… I have to get to the shower now. I'm sorry". Resisting Hermione's invitations to stay a little longer, Ron got up and headed towards the bathroom, where turned on the shower and got undressed. When he went inside, the freezing water came in touch with his skin and he gasped.

"'Mione!? Are you using water?!" He shouted.

"Yeah, the dishes are being cleaned! What about it?"

"Can you stop for a sec please? The water is freezing." Ron heard Hermione laugh and he didn't need to see her face to know there was a look of mischief in her eyes. _Oh no, here comes revenge._ He thought.

"I am sorry _love_ but I have to practice this cleaning spell your mother taught me, and I need water you see? And I am sure you can resist a little bit of cold water, after all you _are_ an auror." She said, laughing.

"Well, It serves me right" Ron muttered under his breath.

Fifteen minutes later, he was dressed and shaved. He checked his nose for dirt and got out of the bathroom. Hermione was in the living room, sitting on a couch immersed on a book. She was wearing one of his Chudley Cannons shirt and shorts. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, with some strands on the back of her ear.

"Don't you have to get ready?" Ron asked, making Hermione look up from her book.

"No, the head of the department said I worked too much and told me I could stay home today. I was hoping to read a little bit and then finish some paperwork I have from work. If I can I will think about what to say to the Notts about their elf demanding a galleon a month. They don't want to give it to her so she is doing her chores badly, I admire that elf." She responded, a frown appearing on her forehead. Ron, noticing that, decided to make her see what you were supposed to do on a holyday.

"Hermione, don't you think you should just relax today? You have been working a lot on this and you deserve this break. Plus you will be able to convince the Notts in about a second. And as an afterthought, if you continue to frown all the time you might get wrinkles sooner than you need to, you are just 21!" He added, joking. But Hermione's reaction was far from what he had expected. She put her book aside and stood up, eyes watery and a frown still present. When she was close to him, she stopped and pulled him into an embrace.

"I don't want you to leave Ron, you have never been in a mission this long and you said I couldn't send you letters, so I won't know anything about you for a long time" She muttered. Ron held her close, not wanting to let go. "And if I work a lot maybe I will be able to take my mind off you and not worry as much."

Ron hesitantly let go, putting his hands on her shoulders. "'Mione, I hate this as much as you do, believe me, but this are things I have to do once in a while. It's like when you have to go to another country to talk about your projects to other people." He sighted, but then remembered something. _Dear Dumbledore, I owe you so much_ he though as he reached his pocked, taking the Deluminator out. "You remember this?" He asked Hermione.

"The Deluminator… I didn't know you still had it" She said slowly.

"Well, you still have your book why shouldn't I have kept this?" Hermione smiled a little bit, but the smile soon disappeared from her face. "Look, if you really need me just say my name okay? This is how I found you during the hunt. Your voice, remember? Because you needed me. I have had this in my pocked ever since, because I know you will always be able to call upon me." He embraced her again and when they parted Hermione kissed him lovingly, expressing her worries through the kiss. Ron responded back as softly, and they stayed like this for a while until Ron's watched illuminated again.

"Damn watch, might as well get its light with the Deluminator" Ron said as they parted.

"Don't swear Ron, besides it was a gift from your parents, you should be grateful for it"

"Yeah… well, I don't like it when it interrupts." He said under his breath. Luckily for him, Hermione hadn't heard that, so instead of getting angry she hugged him again.

"I will miss you" She said

"I know, I will too. Just remember, say my name if you really need to, and I will find a way to tell you I am fine. Don't worry, I will be alright." She still had a sad expression on her face when they parted. "Hey, we managed one year on the run with nothing more than your mushrooms as food while every single death eater was looking for us. I think I can survive living as a muggle, don't you?" This made her chuckle a little so he was satisfied.

"Goodbye, stay safe." She said after kissing him one more time.

"Always" And he left, only this time it hadn't been after a row, and none of them would be crying. This time both of them knew, he would be coming back.

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 **Well…. How was it? Please tell me If the characters were too OOC, I think I have a problem with that… As always if you liked it please review, favourite or follow, it really is appreciated. Also if you want me to write about a specific fact or you have noticed some mistake don't hesitate and let me know. Thanks to all the people who have reviewed, favorited or followed this story, you are amazing!**

 **Au revoir! ;)**


	7. Swish & Flick

**Hey guys! I am truly sorry I haven't posted in so long, school started and I haven't had the time to write. I really hope this can make up for the long wait. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year ;).**

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 _Fact 7: On the engagement ring Ron gave Hermione was an inscription which said 'Swish & Flick'._

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"Ron, are you ready?!" Hermione asked from the living room, where she had been feeding Crookshanks.

"Yeah, just one more second!" Ron answered. He was currently in their bedroom, looking desperately for a small velvet box containing the most important ring he had ever bought in his life. An engagement ring.

 _I can't have lost it!_ He though, starting to panic. He had already looked in the closet, his night table, sock drawer, medicine cabinet, under the bed, and in the pockets of his jacket. Deciding that losing control wasn't going to solve anything, he sat on the edge of the bed and covered his face with his hands, closing his eyes and trying to remember the last time he had seen it. That was when he felt something hard on the back pocket of his jeans. ' _Oh thank Merlin. How could I've been so stupid?'_ He wondered. He took out the small velvet box and looked at it before opening it. Yes, the ring was still there, safe and sound. Putting the box in his jacket pocket, he started walking towards the living room. From there, he and Hermione flooed to the Hogwarts's Headmistress office.

Ron had been planning on proposing to Hermione for a three months now. It had taken four weeks for him to find the perfect ring, and he was still working on how to pop the question. For security though, the small velvet box was always with him, everywhere he went, and a little talk with the 7th year students at Hogwarts about Defence Against the Dark Arts was no exeption.

When they arrived at McGonagall's office, Ron noticed some changes in it from the last time he had seen it. The main difference was that nothing was destroyed or damaged, but neat and well-organized. There were two new portraits on the wall. In the first one stood Professor Dumbledore, smiling at them with that annoying twinkle in his eyes he always seemed to have. Not to Ron's surprise, the other portrait was occupied by Severus Snape. He was sitting on a black leather armchair, and instead of the smug look Ron expected him to have, he was smiling, and not one of those superior smiles he always had, no, he was _really_ smiling. Still in a state of shock, he adverted his eyes from the image he always thought would be the start of an apocalypse to the big desk in front of him. On it stood a bottle of ink and a quill, some parchment and some weird looking objects. There was also a little glass bowl containing what Ron guessed were lemon sweets, which he though was weird because he vividly remembered McGonagall turning those down every time Professor Dumbledore offered her one. Well, _he_ wouldn't be the one to turn them down this time if he was offered one. Moving his head a little bit further up the desk, he spotted the actual headmistress, looking at them with a little smile in her face. ' _What is it with smiles today?!'_

"Mr. Weasley, Miss. Granger. A little bit late aren't we?" She said, a twinkle similar to Dumbledore's in her eyes. ' _And the twinkle! Why does every head at Hogwarts have that? Is it like a tradition or someting…?!'_ Ron wondered, not noticing the insinuation between his former teacher's words.

"Oh, sorry professor" Hermione answered, a slight blush creeping over her cheeks. "But Ron" She gave him a brief glare and turned back to face the headmistress "couldn't find something and refused to leave without it"

"Don't worry about it Miss. Granger, a few minutes won't harm, although I couldn't expect less from Mr. Weasley. And please, call me Minerva, you are no longer my students and from what you did two years ago, you deserve it."

"Thank you…Minerva, but only if you call me Hermione, I have never been really comfortable with Miss. Granger"

"Of course. Now take a seat please. Would you like some sherbet lemons?"

' _Okay, the world has definitely gone mad'_ Ron thought as they sat down, Hermione in the left chair and Ron next to her, in the middle. The offer though, was never answered as when he was about to do so, green flames came from the chimney and Harry stepped out, his hair messier that usual and his glasses hanging from his left ear. He coughed a little bit and brushed some ash from his shoulders.

"Sorry professor, I'm still not used to floo powder" He apologised, before sitting on the last chair left, next to Ron.

"Well, now that you are all here, I would like to thank you for accepting this offer. The Defence Against the Dark Arts class starts in ten minutes. Professor Gwinn will be awaiting for you inside. I expect you remember the way there?"

"Yes" They all answered in unison.

"Well then, good luck. It was nice seeing you again" McGonagall said standing up. She offered a hand to the three of them and accompanied them to the door.

They walked through the silent corridors for a few miutes before finding the class, Ron and Harry following Hermione, as they realised they were not aware of where classes were after the reconstruction of the castle and apparently, the headmistress had only been talking with Hermione when she asked if they remembered where the classes where.

"Okay, so remember" Hermione started before they steped inside "do not say too much about how to make or deal with horcruxes. Don't say anything stupid either, especially you Ron" She added with a smirk. Before Ron could answer though, she was knocking on the door.

A short and slim man with grey hair and a yellow cloak opened it, shaking their hands."Ah, Miss. Granger, good to see you again. Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, pleased to meet you. Come in." He motioned inside, and they followed.

The class was bigger than Ron remembered. The ceiling was higher, there were more tables and there was a lot more space to practice than in the class they had used for Defence Against the Dark Arts. They made their way to the front of the room and stood near Professor Gwinn's desk. Every single pair of eyes was focused on them and some mouths were slightly open. The classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. After a few seconds of silence, Profesosr Gwinn started talking.

"Class, these are as you well know, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. They are here to answer your questions concerning the war. I hope you have all brought parchment and quills because I will be including some of their most interesting answers on the writing test next week. You can also ask for tips for your practical defense test, I am sure they would be pleased to make some demonstrations on the spells we have been working on."

The mouths were now closed, and some people had started looking for their supplies, but most of the students were still focused on them. ' _Come on, it's not like we are dragons, these kids look like Hermione with Lockhart'_ Ron though, smiling a little. He made a mental note to tell her this later and continued standing awkwardly in front of the class.

Suddenly, a girl with silky black hair and grey eyes held up her hand. She had just finished organizing her desk and was looking at them with a slight blush on her face. _'Suspicions just confirmed, this is girl acts just like Hermione'_. Professor Gwinn gave her a slight nod and she started with her question.

"What were you doing while you were hiding from the death eaters?"

"Well, appart from trying not to get captured, we were looking for some objects called horrocruxes wich would help us defeat Voldemort" Hermione answered. A few gasps were heard, but the reaction to the name was a lot different from the one on the following months to the end of the war.

Another hand shot straight up at the mention of the word horcrux and after being given a nod, a boy from Ravenclaw asked what it was. This time, it was Harry who answered.

"A horcrux is an object which contains a part of someone's soul. They allowed Voldemort to live when his body was destroyed. This is why before trying to kill him we had to destroy these objects. It is also why he was able to return after the last tri-wizard tournament held here."

During an hour, they continued answering questions, most of them concering the war and spells, altough there had been some students who asked for their personal lives, receiving a glare form the professor and no answer from neither Harry, Ron nor Hermione. Ten minutes before the class ended, a Slytherin gril asked why Ron had left while they were on their search. How she knew that, Ron had no idea. Hermione saved him though, when she quickly answered he had offered to go search for a safe place to stay and had been captured by snatchers while doing so. She also said that after getting rid of the snatchers he had found a place and thanks to that they were able to escape Malfoy Manor (A name which a Gryffindor asked about after Hermione's explination and which made the colour drain from her face)

"Okay, this will be it, does anyone have another question?" Professor Gwinn said two minutes before the end of the class. The students stayed silent so the class was dismissed.

"I would like to thank you for coming, this has been very helpful. Also, sorry if some of the questions were too personal, we didn't have time to discuss the type of questions they should have asked" He said once the classroom was empty.

"It was our pleasure Professor Gwinn, and don't worry about the questions, they were just fine" Hermione answered.

After having lunch in the Great Hall, they walked outside of the castle and towards Hogsmeade, where they would be apparating home, but Harry seemed to be lot more eager to get out of the Howart's grounds than Ron and Hermione.

"Mate, why are you walking that fast? It's just Hogsmeade" Ron said

"Well, Kingsley said he wanted to meet with me at 3 and I am running a bit late" Harry answered, starting to run.

"So, guess it's just us now huh?" Ron said, looking at Hermione. "Wait, you don't have any meeting to attend to do you?" Hermione chuckled and shook her head.

"I've missed Hogwarts" She suddenly said, looking at the gigantic castle.

"Hermione, you were here less than a year ago graduating. How can you miss it already?"

"It's not just a school Ron" Hermione answered, scowling at him. "It was my home for seven years, it's where I got to learn magic and make friends. It's where I got to spend time with you and Harry, where we first kissed. It's much more than parchment and quills Ron. Excluding petrification, near death experiences, Umbridge and _heartbrake_ " She said, putting a special emphasis on the last word and looking at Ron with a smirk "I have so many good memories of this place" She then looked at Ron and offered her hand. "Wanna take a walk by the lake?"

"Sure" He answered, acting untouched by her speech, but really, it had activated a light inside his head. As they walked in comfortable silence around the quiet grounds, he started thinking about his attempts to organise the best proposal for Hermione. He had thought of a picnic by the lake near the Burrow, transfiguring a tent to look just like the train compartment where they first met or reserving a table on the restaurant in Australia where they had had their first date. But her little speech had made him realise that he didn't need to organize a big event to propose, it was the little details which mattered the most, and as long as Hermione was the girl he was proposing to, everything would be perfect. And even if he did want to choose a special place, nowhere was as perfect as Hogwarts, his happiest memories took place here, and why not add one more to the album?

"Ron?" He heard someone ask, bringing him back from his thoughts. He looked around and found Hermione looking at him with a slight smile on her face. "Did you hear what I just said?"

"No, sorry" He answered with a small loop-sided grin.

"Well, I asked what you were thinking about"

"Oh, nothing important" He said, shrugging. _Oh come on Ron! Don't chicken out now!_ He internaly scolded himself.

"Actually, it is kind of important" He said just as Hermione started to walk again. She stopped and looked at him straight in the eye, showing full attention.

 _Shit, okay, this is it._ He thought as he held her hands in his. He knelt to the ground and looked up at her. Her eyes were glimmering with tears, of joy, he hoped.

"Hermione, I have been trying to plan the perfect proposal for months now. The perfect speech, venue, ring, I even though of bringing a mariachi band for Merlin's sake." She chuckled at that, bringing one hand up to cover her mouth. "Fortunately, Harry convinced me it was too much. It wasn't until now that I realised, all those thing do not matter. Your little speech made me realise that it will be perfect as long as you are the one I'm kneeling in front of. So, Hermione Jean Granger, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife and make me the happies wizard alive?" He pulled out the velvet box form his pocket and opened it.

Hermione stood frozen on the spot, silent tears falling down her face. Then out of nowhere she held his cheeks and kissed him.

"Of course I will Ron. Even if we were covered in slime and with ragged clothes my answer would be yes, always."

"Really?" He asked, unable to contain his excitment. She nodded her head and he started spinning her around in the air, both of them laughing.

Once he put her down, he got the ring and put in on ther left hand finger. It was simple, a silver band with a little diamond in the middle.

"Do you like it?" He asked. Hermione nodded, looking at it with amazement "I know it's not much, but the other ones looked too fancy or superficial."

"It's perfect Ron, you have finally bough some jewlery that I like!" Hermione said while chuckling "What does it say here?" She asked, pointing to an inscription written on the shiny silver.

"Oh" Ron said, blushing "It sais 'swish and flick'. It's the first order you gave me which I complied willingly. It is also prove that we worked together to save Harry so I though it was quite important."

Hermione stared at the ring for a moment before kissing him again. "Thank you Ron, it's perfect".

"So, when are we telling everyone?" Hermione asked, once they had resumed walking, hand in hand.

"Well, I though we could tell my family on Saturday when we meet them to have lunch. We could invite your parents as well so they can learn the news at the same time" Ron answered. He was personaly dreading his family's reaction. He was a hundred per cent sure his mother would start crying and would hug him until all his bones where broken, Ginny wouldn't stop squealing like she did when she was little and George wouldn't stop teasing him. Hopefully with Hermione's parents there, they wouldn't act as crazy.

"It's settled then" Hermione said after thinking about it.

"Yep. By the way Hermione, I just remembered something. While we were waiting for the questions to start, those kids were looking at us as if we were Merlin, guess who they rememinded me of" Ron said with a grin.

After a moment of thinking, Hermione declared she had no idea. "Well, I think it was quite obvious they were acting exactly like you did with Lockhart!" Ron said, looking down at her teasingly.

"Yeah well, at least I didn't act as a complete fool when Fleur passed by on fourth year" She replied with a smile.

"That was just because she's half-veela. Plus I don't look at her like that anymore, I've come to my senses."

"Well, I don't look at Lockhart that way anymore either"

"True story" Ron said, giving her a little peck on the lips. "It is me who you look at that way now!" He said triumphantly. Hermione just rolled her eyes and hit him lightly on his arm, which made Ron chuckle.

"That was quite a decent speech you made back there by the way" Hermione started, stopping a little bit to make him believe it was a compliment "Never thought you were capable of that" She added, looking up at him with a smirk.

"Always a tone of surprise" He answered.

* * *

 **I really hope you enjoyed this. If you did please follow, favourite or review. You took the time to read, why not comment on what you though about it? It really brightens my day. Also, my sister insisted that I say she contributed on some of the sentences. Thanks a lot for reading and specially to those who have supported this story, you are awesome. Happy holidays.**

 **Au revoir ;)**


	8. Australia

**Hey everyone! Happy New Year! I am sorry to say I won't be able to post until next year (which is in a few hours) :). Also, this story has almost 20 reviews! I know it's not much compared to other stories, but it's the first time I've gotten here so I'm pretty excited in my own weird way. Thanks a lot for bearing with me this long. Enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I forgot to put one in the last chapter, but you can guess nothing is mine right? Well, except form the spell** ** _Memoriam Revocat_ (latin words for _recorda memòria_** **in catalan, which in english means remember memory).**

* * *

 _Fact 8: When Hermione and Ron went to Australia, he reassured her everything would go okay._

* * *

It had been two months since the Hogwarts battle. Two horrible months full of grieving, sadness and stress. The war had ended, that was true, but the fight against the death eaters was still alive. Now that their leader had been defeated, most of them had acknowledged they had lost, but there were others who continued causing trouble. The Auror squad was doing a good job though, and they predicted they would capture the last one in a few months.

The reconstruction of the Hogwarts castle had started, and little by little the school was starting to regain its majesty. The new Headmistress, Professor McGonagall, had announced that term would start on the 15th of September, and those who were not able to attend school the past year, would be given the chance to come back. Hermione though, hadn't had time to think about that option yet. On those two months, she had had to attend more funerals than before the war even started.  
She had also been planning a way to go to Australia to recover her parents as soon as possible. In fact, that's where she was now, in a hotel in Canberra with Ron, who had insisted on accompanying her. Mrs. Weasley had not been too keen on letting them go on their own, but after a talk with Mr. Weasley, she agreed. They had arrived here by plane, something which Ron had not been looking forward to, and still refused to do (especially after Hermione had explained the mechanics of flying once they arrived at their hotel room).

They had been looking for her parents for a week now, and finally, after searching for their address in more than three phone books, they had found it. Hermione had stared at it for a good ten minutes before throwing herself at Ron and starting to cry. Ron had stood frozen, because that was new, Hermione was not the kind of girl to start crying at every moment, but then again, finally having proof that her parents are alive, even if they didn't remember their daughter, was no nonsense.

"Hermione, are you okay?" He had asked while stroking her hair. She nodded and held up her head, sniffed and brushed the tears from her eyes with her t-shirt.

"Yeah… sorry. It's just that it's all so real now. They're alive Ron. For so many months I had prepared myself in case they were dead, I had started to believe they were, and now we know they aren't" She said before hugging him again. They stayed like that for some minutes before she recovered.

"Thank you for coming with me Ron" She said, walking over to the table, where the book was.

"Always" He answered.

She took a piece of paper and wrote the address on it. "I was thinking maybe we could go there tomorrow, is that okay with you?" She asked, putting it on the pocket of her jeans.

"Yeah, whatever you want" Ron answered, standing next to her. "But how do you plan on reversing the spell?"

"Well, we could knock on the door and say we are new neighbours. They will probably invite us in for tea and then I can reverse it" Hermione said, tears coming to her eyes again. She rapidly brushed them away.

"You've though of everything" Ron said, hugging her "But can we take a rest now and eat a little bit, I'm starving" He added, his stomach growling, as to prove his point. Hermione laughed and nodded, picking up her phone and asking for food.

* * *

The bus had just left, and they were standing in front of Hermione's parent's house. It was similar to the other ones on the street, but Hermione noticed little details which confirmed it was her parent's. The fence surrounding it was white with grass and flowers painted at the bottom, just like the one in England. The little garden on the front was well taken care of, no weeds, just green and glimmering grass. The door mat was shaped like a cat, with orange fur and pointy ears. The curtains on the windows where white with yellow flowers, and the front door was white, just as they had always liked it.

"Hermione?" She heard Ron ask. She turned to the left to face him "Are you okay?" He asked.

That was a tricky question. She was naturally happy that she would soon see her parents, but her fear was growing as timed passed. What if they didn't forgive her? What if she couldn't make them remember her? She shook her head slowly and took a deep breath.

"I'm scared Ron. I didn't ask them for their permission, what if they don't want me anymore?"

"Hermione, they would be dumb if they didn't forgive you. You saved their life, and they should understand that. You only erased their memories because you loved them, and they will forgive you because of that" He answered. It was weird how Ron had matured a little since the end of the war. Not much, you couldn't expect that from him, but he wasn't the same boy who would tease her for everything and she appreciated it.

"You know Ron, I think you are starting to mature a little" Hermione said with a smile.

"Well, I'm spending more time with you, what did you expect?" He responded, returning her smile.

They made their way to the front door and stopped before knocking. "Are you ready?" Ron asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be" Hermione answered, and bringing her hand to the door, she knocked.

A small woman with short brown hair and chocolate eyes opened the door. She looked at them with a smile, her eyes lingering a bit on Hermione before talking in a sweet voice.

"Hello, do you need anything?"

"Well" Ron said after a few seconds, seeing as Hermione was unable to talk "we moved into a house in this street a few days ago and we thought it would be a good idea to present ourselves to our new neighbours"

"Oh, in that case, would you want to come in to have some tea?" She said, her gaze still on Hermione, who had seemed to gain some control over her voice.

"Yes, that would be lovely" She answered "Myy name is Hermione Granger, and this is Ron Weasley, pleased to meet you" She added, extending her hand for her mother to shake.

"Monica Wilkins. I'm sorry, but have we met before? You seem familiar." Hermione's mother said, shaking her hand and looking at her with a solid gaze.

"I don't think so, we have just been here for a couple of days" Hermione answered calmly.

"Oh, excuse me then, I must have confused you for someone else" Monica said, motioning them inside "would you like some tea?" She asked once they were in the living room.

"Yes please" Hermione answered "If it is no trouble of course."

"Oh, of course it isn't. You can take a seat while I prepare it" She said, walking towards the kitchen.

"Well your mother seems like a nice person" Ron said, sitting on a beige loveseat.

"Yes, she has always been like that, but believe me, you do not want to be there when she gets angry, she has a lot of 'hidden temper' as my father always said" Hermione answered, smiling a little.

"So, when do you plan on reversing the spell?" Ron asked.

"I was hoping to do it when the both of them were together, that way it will be easier, I think" She answered, sitting next to him.

"As always, you are completely right" Ron answered, sliding his hand around her waist and kissing her cheek.

Hermione's mother appeared a few seconds later, holding a tray with three cups of steaming red tea. She placed it on the little tea table in front of them and sat on an armchair next to the beige loveseat.

"So, where are you from? How come you decided to move here?" She asked, taking one cup with her left hand and slightly blowing on it. _That's definitely my mother_ Hermione thought.

"We are from England" Hermione answered. "We finished school a couple of months ago and thought it would be a good idea to spend some time abroad. We were just planning on staying for some weeks, but we found a good college here and decided to apply for a spot. We got accepted so be bought the house." It wasn't a very credible lie, but it would do for now, after all, she would just be talking to Monica Wilkins for a few minutes before she could talk with Jean Granger, her real mother.

"Oh, great decision then. My husband and I used to live in England too, but we decided to move to Australia about a year ago. We work as dentists and rapidly found a job here. It is a very beautiful place, sunnier and warmer than England, that's for sure." She answered, smiling politely. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "That must be my husband. Excuse me for a minute" She said, leaving her cup on the tray and walking towards the door.

Hermione started feeling nervous, her palms were ice cold but still sweating and her heart had started beating faster. Ron noticed this and grabbed her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Hey, don't worry." He said, looking into her soft brown eyes. "You are the brightest witch of your age, a little remembering charm is nothing compared to what you can do"

"Actually, it is a quite complicated spell Ron" Hermione stated. "A lot of things could go wrong. For once, the wrist movement has to be very precise and the pr-". She wasn't able to finish though, as Ron interrupted her.

"Hermione" He said slowly. "Don't worry. You'll do it perfectly, like always. Do you want me to entertain them while you cast it, that way it'll be easier?"

Hermione nodded her head and kissed him lightly. "Thank you Ron" She said, before turning to the door, where Mr. Wilkins soon appeared, followed by his wife.

When Ron saw them, he stood up and walked towards them, a hand stretched out for Mr. Wilkins to shake. Hermione followed close behind, but moving a little bit to his right in order to get a good view and cast the spell on the right people.

"Hello, I'm Ron Weasley pleased to meet you" Ron said, his hand being shaken by Mr. Wilkins. He heard Hermione whisper _Memoriam Revocat_ and saw as two blue rays of light appeared from her wand and made their way into her parent's heads. Their eyes closed and when they opened again, they looked lost, confused.

"Hermione?" Mrs. Granger asked once she saw her daughter. "Where are we?"

"Mom, dad. This is hard to explain. We are currently in Canberra Australia." Hermione answered, sadness present in her voice. "I had to erase your memories and send you here in order to keep you safe"

"But, from what?" Her father asked, still confused.

"It is a long story to tell dad. It will take some time".

"Well the sooner we start the sooner we'll end right?" Her mother said. She shifter her gaze form Hermione and her eyes fell on Ron. She looked surprised for a moment before recognizing who he was.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Hello Ron, it's been a long time since we last saw each other. I believe you have accompanied Hermione here haven't you" She said, smiling a little.

"Yes ma'am. It's good to see you again" Ron answered politely. He was a bit nervous, as this was the first time he met her parents properly. He had been introduced to them briefly at Diagon Alley before his second year, but he really had been paying more attention to the broom store that day.

"Mr. Granger" He added, offering his hand yet again. "Good to see you too". Mr. Granger shook his hand and then turned to Hermione.

"So, do you want to explain this whole ordeal to us now or later Hermione?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I think right now should be good" Hermione answered. They all sat down and Hermione started to talk. _These are going to be some painful hours_. Ron thought as he sat down next to Hermione. _But if it is necessary, it has to be done_.

* * *

The explanation was now finished. It had taken two hours, some tears and painful memories, but in the end it had been worth it. Hermione's parents had forgiven her without a second though, and they were now planning their trip back home. They would have to stay for a couple of weeks to sell the house and close their dentist business, but if they had waited for a year, two weeks meant nothing.

After some last comments on the best plane company, Ron and Hermione headed towards the door, where they would say goodbye to her parents. Ron though, was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and faced Mr. Granger, who was motioning at his daughter to keep going. Once she was out of the room with her mother, he started talking.

"So, Ron. Why did you accompany Hermione here?" He asked, smiling a little.

"I thought she would feel better if she didn't have to do all this on her own sir" Ron answered, fiddling with his fingers nervously.

"Good" Mr, Granger said "And you stayed with her during all this camping you went through this past year?"

Ron's mind immediately wandered to that cold and rainy night when he had left Harry and Hermione alone, guided by rage and jealousy. He could either lie and make a good impression or tell the truth. He decided on the latter.

"No. No sir. I… I left some some days before Christmas, but came back a few weeks later" He said, dropping his gaze to the ground.

"Why?" Mr. Granger asked. His tone was still friendly, if not a little bit sadder than before. This made Ron look up again, at least he wasn't angry.

"We had found a Horcrux but didn't know how to destroy it, so we took turns in keeping it. It did things to us sir, horrible things. When one of us wore it we acted angry, moody and self-centred. I think it affected me the most though. When I was wearing it, I had the feeling that neither Harry nor Hermione wanted me there, and I became jealous. One night I found them planning a way to destroy it together and got angry. That's when I left. I tried to come back the second I had apparated away, but some snatchers found me and I couldn't. When I finally got the chance to come back, they had moved to another place."

"Well, do you regret it?"

"Deeply" Ron answered without hesitation.

"Why?" Mr. Granger asked with a serious tone, even though there was a ghost of a smile on his face

"Because I left them alone. Failed them. I failed Hermione and I was so sure she would hate me if I came back. Because when I was leaving she begged me not to listen to the locket, cried for me to come back but I didn't listen, and I should have. I could have lost her forever. That's why" Ron answered. To his surprise, Mr. Granger smiled at his response and patted his shoulder.

"You are a good lad Ron. The important thing is that you deeply regret it. Tell me, have you apologised yet?" He asked, still grinning.

"Of course." Ron answered, now more at ease.

"And from what I've seen Hermione has forgiven you?" He asked. Ron just nodded his head.

"Good. Listen to me Ron. I have seen Hermione grow into the young woman she is now since she was a little baby, and my wife and I love her with all our beings. Every time she came home from this magic school of yours, she wouldn't stop talking about how great everything was, it was all Hogwarts this, Hogwarts that. But the theme of these talks started to change little by little, until between every Hogwarts this, Hogwarts that, were hundreds of Ron this, Ron that. I like you Ron, very much, and there is no question in my mind that Hermione does too, and a lot. Now, all I ask from you is not to break her heart." Mr. Granger said, his gaze and tone now serious.

"Never sir, I would never do that" Ron answered confidently.

"Well then. It's official. I think you are a great man Ron. Call me Richard" Mr. Granger said, smiling again. He started walking towards the front door again, bringing Ron with him. Once they were there, Ron stood next to Hermione and shook his hand.

"Ron, Hermione has told me you play chess. We can check out how good you are tomorrow huh?" Mr. Granger asked just as Hermione was heading outside.

"Of course" Ron answered with a grin, turning around and heading out with Hermione.

"So, what did my father talk to you about in the living room before we left?" Hermione asked as she linked her hand with his.

"Oh nothing important" He answered looking into her eyes. "Just talking about your beauty" He added, grinning. Hermione just rolled her eyes and punched him lightly on his arm while saying "Oh, shut up".

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this, and if you did, please favourite, follow or review. It really is appreciated. Have a very nice last day of the year and I hope you start 2016 with happiness and excitement. Until next time,**

 **Au revoir ;) (I don't know why I say this if I don't really like french, but anyways, maybe if my french teacher sees this my grades will go up)**


	9. Otter

**Hey guys! So... it's been a while since my last update, and I really have no excuse exept from school. I am quite aware this should NOT be a reason to stop uploading, but it was, and for that I am sorry. Nevertheless I am hoping to do it better the next time around and post more regularly... or at least more often. So, I really hope you continue reading this story and that you enjoy this chapter.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Harry Potter Characters.**

* * *

 _Fact 9: After Crookshanks died Ron brough Hermione another cat and named it Otter, after her patronus._

* * *

Brushing the soot out of her shoulders, Hermione stepped off the fire place, dropped her suitcase on the table and let herself fall on the sofa. She had decided to take some well-deserved vacations after the heart-breaking surprise she got on the start of the week.

She had gotten up early, as always, and after showering and putting on her work clothes, she had gone to the kitchen to prepare some coffee for Ron and herself. She had found it strange when Crookshanks didn't come in to greet her, meowing for some food, but had put it off to the fact that the cat had seemed a little bit off lately. Once the coffee has been ready she had gone to the study and packed all her paperwork, putting it inside her suitcase and heading for the living room, looking for her jacket. What she saw once she entered the living room didn't alarm her at all, in fact, she found it quite amusing. On the middle of the rug was Crookshanks, with its head between its paws and his ears down. Hermione assumed he was still sleeping, and got closer to wake him up while scratching his ears. The cat though, didn't move. Starting to get agitated, Hermione had left her still hot coffee and her suitcase on the floor and started to shake Crookshanks a little harder, calling out his name. It was when he still didn't answer that the worst scenario came into her head. Grabbing for her wand, she quickly performed a spell she had learned on her fifth year, which was able to determine if a person on creature was dead or still alive. The result had not been satisfactory.

It had been a day since that discovery, and after the disastrous Labour Day she had had on Monday she had realised her mind just wasn't in the right set to work and she needed a rest to mourn the loss of her companion. Of course, it could not be very long, as being head of her own department had its disadvantages, but just enough time to accept what had happened.

Closing her eyes, she shakily inhaled and exhaled, trying to relax her mind. How would she tell the kids that Crookshanks wouldn't be there when they came back home for the Christmas break? She couldn't just write the news on a letter and sent it off to Hogwarts, but it would not be fair for them either to find out just as the holidays began, killing off their Christmas spirit.  
Putting these thoughts to the back of her mind, she decided to bring them back over dinner, and discuss it when Ron had already come home.

She wondered whether she should start dinner just so she could put her mind at ease, but thought that even with the help of magic, the food would end up being tasteless if not a little sour, so she decided to do something else. Getting up, she moved over to her study, left her suitcase hanging from the hanger on the side of her desk, and got close to her personal library. There were a few books she had bought at Flourish and Botts a few months ago but hadn't had time to read. Choosing one, she headed back to the living room and sat on the couch, opening the book and starting to read.

Five hours and two books later found Hermione sprawled over the couch, with her eyes closed, mouth slightly open and an arm touching the floor, next to an open third black cover book. A faint pop was heard, and was enough to wake her from her light sleep. Getting up, she brushed the sleep off her eyes and bent over, getting the books eh had been reading, as well as the other two, going to her study to leave them on their respective shelves. Unaware that Ron had just apparated home, she headed towards her bedroom in order to put on the purple wool robe her mother had given to her on her birthday, as she had gotten slightly cold. When she got to her and Ron's bedroom though, she was greeted with her husband laying with his back on the bed and holding a small bundle of white fur in his warms, which were held up. Hermione eyed Ron suspiciously as he slowly got in a sitting position and hid the furry white creature behind his back.

"Hi" He said lamely.

"Ron, what was that you were holding?" Asked Hermione, looking at him sternly.

"Well… you see… it was supposed to be a surprise… but yeah, guess it's not anymore. It's a cat" He said. He looked at her with an apologising expression as he waited for her response. Hermione's mind though was in shock. She was definitely not expecting that, for all she knew Ron wasn't really fond of cats and in addition hers had just died. Her throat was starting to get constricted and Hermione was flooded with the need to cry, but she was still able to let out a small _what?_

"Hermione I… I really don't mean any harm with this, I am not trying to replace Crookshanks"

It was as if someone had switched on something in her mind. At the sound of the word replace anger flooded through Hermione as fast as a flame burns paper. Her eyebrows narrowed, her hands fisted, and the sadness and confusion in her eyes were replaced by a burning flame.

"Oh really? Because it seems to me like you are!" She cried lifting her arms to the ceiling. "My cat dies and not only a week passes by and you have already bought another one! And then I wake up, exhausted from these past couple of days, enter my room looking for something to warm me up and what do I find? My husband laying on the bed playing with some damn stupid cat as if nothing was wrong! As If Crookshanks hadn't died, as if he hadn't even existed! That's not how it works Ron! You can't just replace him! You can't just continue your life as if nothing had happened! You can't. Because he is dead! Dead! Do you get that?! He's not coming back. Crookshanks is not going to be here anymore! And you can't just go and forget him that fast! He is dead and the least you could do is pay him dome respect! Because he is not coming back Ron, he is not coming back…" Sometime around her screaming, tears had started to form in her eyes and it wasn't long before they had started to fall freely. Her shoulders had started to shake, and her vision was so blurry she had closed her eyes. A pair of arms surrounded her and she leaned into Ron's chest, letting all her stress and sorrow from these lasts few days flow out of her.  
"He's gone…he's not coming back" She kept saying between sobs, as Ron just hugger and rocked her lightly, trying to calm her by gently moving his hand up and down her back and whispering small words of comfort in her ear.

"I know he's gone Hermione, and I know it is hard on you. I know it hurts to let him go, but you know that moving on doesn't mean forgetting. You were the one who told me that years ago when Fred died. By moving on you are remembering his existence, every good, bad, courageous and stupid thing he did. By moving on you are not focusing on this last part of his life, but his whole journey through this world. And while it is normal to mourn, you don't have to dwell on it too much. Because even if he will not be here to eat my socks and scratch my feet, he's still in your memory, in your heart, and that is something that never leaves (specially you Hermione with that genius mind of yours, you'll never forget him). We've been through this before Hermione, we know how it works, we have learnt about it the rough way. We know that we don't have to dwell on the past too much, and we know that doesn't mean we have to forget. Now please let me explain why I got this fluffy white ball of fur." Once Ron had finished talking, Hermione had already calmed down a bit. Shwas no longer sobbing, although a few tears slid down her cheeks from her now puffy red eyes. She followed Ron as she gently told her to sit down on the edge of the bed while he fetched the small kitten, which had hid under the covers, scared of all the shouting.

"Okay" said Ron, sitting down next to Hermione with the kitten on his hands. "As I said before, this little thing here is not going to replace Crookshanks, because let's face it, Crookshanks is unreplaceable. We'll never find another ginger cat with a similar squashy face or with as much stubbornness and hate for me, even if we really tried. The reason I bought him is to bring a little light to this situation. I know it's only been a couple of days, but ever since Crookshanks left us you have been down, you just aren't you. When I got home yesterday you didn't take notice of the sand I had spread all through the carpet, you didn't read a book before you went to sleep, you even used magic to make coffee, something I have never seen you do. And when I saw him today while I was going through Diagon Alley, I realised he was the perfect choice. As much of a cat as this snow ball may be, he's not like Crookshanks, but he _is_ familiar enough to help you mourn the loss of him. I brought him home to help you get through this, not to be something he is not." He handed the kitten to Hermione, who cradle him in her arms and leant into Ron.

"Thank you Ron. You are right, and I am sorry for screaming at you" Said Hermione, petting the cat which had started to purr.

"I know, but you needed a punch bag to release all those pent up emotions, and I was happy to volunteer. And I think you showed this little one he's not to mess around, so there is no reason to say sorry." A few moments passed, the two of them falling into a familiar comfortable silence while they both petted the kitten's white fur, making it close its eyes and lean into their hand more, purring all the while.

"Does he have a name yet, by the way?" Asked Hermione after a while, looking at Ron, hoping he _had_ chosen a name as it wasn't one of her top favourite activities, especially not right now.

"Well, actually I had thought we could name him Otter, seeing as that is your patronus and it is you he was bought for." He said with a small apologetic smile. Now that he said it out loud it did sound a bit cheesy.

"Okay… but wouldn't that be too egocentric, I mean, he is basically named after me"

"Hermione… when haven't you been egocentric?" Said Ron in teasing voice, looking at her with mischief in his eyes.

"I have never!" Answered Hermione with mock indignation, glad for the change of atmosphere. "I don't even think that is a Gryffindor trait Ron. You don't even know the general characteristics of your own house! What would McGonagall say?" She added, looking at Ron mischievously as a plan formed in her mind.

"She would probably take one hundred points from Gryffindor, but that's no problem for me"

"Oh really? How so?" She asked, grinning. She knew exactly what Ron's answer was going to be.

"I would get them back. Many have mentioned I am the best keeper Gryffindor has ever had!"

"Said Mr. Egocentric" Added Hermione with a smug grin on her face.

"No! Tell me you didn't just do that!" Ron asked. He had fallen for many of her traps over the years. Even Crookshanks had taken part in them, infuriating him to get the answer Hermione wanted.

"Oh yes I did. This little one has a lot to learn if he wants to honour Crookshanks' memory. I am sure he will be quite proud of Otter once he learns the basics." She said while scratching the kitty behind his ears. "Now though, _you_ have some dinner to cook"

"Okay…" Said Ron, reluctantly getting up and heading over to the kitchen, where he started preparing some fairly simple home-made ravioli while Hermione sat on one of the kitchen stools, pointing out his mistakes and congratulating him on his improvements from the last time he had attempted to cook this dish.

Otter, who laid on the floor a few meters from the pair, watched them intently while thinking how right Crookshanks had been when describing them a few weeks ago. Specially the witch, who the ginger cat had described so affectionately. He couldn't help but feel grateful Crookshanks had chosen him as her companion.

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 **Thank you so very much for reading and I sincerely hope you liked it. Again, I am sorry for not having uploaded in so long but I am planning on doing so more during this summer and hopefully, the months that follow. Finally, I wish you a great summer and hope you have a great time.**

 **2nameless2write**


	10. Second Chances

**Merry Christmas! Winter break is finally here! So... I know I said I would try to post more often but I didn't take into accound the amount of workload my new schoolyear had waiting for me. This is getting kinda old, saying sorry on every author note for uploading late and I am going to do my best to change that. For now though, enjoy the chapter**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Harry Potter characters. Also, I did not take into account the events of the new book "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" in the making of this chapter.**

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 _Fact 10: When, during Rose's 7th year, the Triwizard Tournament came back to Hogwarts, Ron finally asked Hermione to the Yule Ball._

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"Hey boy" Ron said as he closed the door, leaning down to pet Otter as the cat moved around his legs. "How have you been you fluffy ball? How come you have come to greet me?" He asked in a sweet voice while scratching the cat under his chin. Otter just purred for a while before standing up and meowing as he proceeded to walk away towards the kitchen. Ron followed him and found Hermione standing in front of counter, with a knife and a lettuce on her hands.

"Were you actually baby talking to Otter?" She said, turning around to face him, a small almost undetectable smirk on her lips.

"What?! Of course not! Why would I do that?" Ron answered, trying to cover up his slip. Hermione just laughed and faced Otter, asking him whether Ron had actually been baby talking to him or not. The cat nodded its fluffy white head and sat down, looking at Hermione expectantly. Hermione laughed again and threw him a piece of goat cheese which was swallowed immediately by the cat.

"I can't believe it, you actually trust the cat more than you trust me" Ron said, approaching Hermione and carefully taking the knife out of her hand.

"Well, you have to admit Ron, he always answers _truthfully_. Not like some other people" She commented, looking pointedly at him and opening her now empty hand "Now give me the knife back, I'm cooking dinner".

"I can see that, but Merlin knows what you can do with a knife, I am taking no chances"

"Ron, I am being serious. I am preparing something new and it has to be perfect. That's the only knife that works so give it back" She ordered. Ron put the knife back in her hand and moved over to stand by her side as he looked at what she was making. There was a white and think dough on the wood plank of the counter and on a bowl was an unfinished salad.

"What are you making then? Can I help?" He asked.

"Pitas. It's salad inside bread. There isn't much you can do now, but you _could_ start peeling some potatoes. I thought we could put them in the oven and make some new sauce I discovered to go with the pitas." Hermione explained, pointing to the potatoes in a bowl with her knife. "Oh, and by the way" She added while Ron started his task "Did you remember to send Rose her outfit for the Yule Ball this year?"

"Of course I did! I wouldn't have forgotten to do so anyway, with your constant nagging" He answered. In fact, not only had he given his Rosie the dress and shoes and all the other, in his opinion, unnecessary stuff, but he had made a trip to Hogwarts to deliver them personally in case their owl messed up. In truth, making that trip had given him more satisfaction than he thought it would because apart from succeeding in delivering his precious daughter her outfit, McGonagall had told him some interesting news. The whole Dumbledore army had been invited to this year's Yule Ball (the first one held in Hogwarts the one on his fourth year) as honour guests. The fact that he was the one who had to communicate the DA about this gave him a great opportunity to surprise Hermione. He only had to wait for Harry's signal and then he would be able to put his plan in motion.

"I don't nag Ron, I am simply worried. You know how excited she is for this." Hermione commented, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Ron… I told you to peel the potatoes, not cut them in half, although you could start doing that too."

"Oh, yeah… I just know the recipe so well I thought I would start with the next step" He said, nervously laughing. Hermione just shook her head and looked at Ron with a slight chuckle. "Yeah right". They continued with their work for a while. Once Hermione was done with the salad, she divided the dough into four different pieces and moulded them in an oval shape before quickly baking them with a swish of her wand. Ron finished cutting and peeling the potatoes, but before he could do anything else, an Owl started tapping on their window.

"I'll get it" Hermione announced as she cleaned her hands and opened the window for the owl to come in. She opened the letter attached to its leg and read it. "It's from Harry. He said I have to come over to the ministry, he is having trouble with his papers again" She told Ron, folding the letter back neatly and reaching for their bowl of owl treats. "I'll be back in a few minutes and we'll finish the cooking" She gave a treat to the owl and headed to the living room, Ron following close behind.

"Alright, but be careful or else he will trick you into organising his whole office" He said, offering Hermione her coat. "And then we wouldn't be able to finish cooking until next week"

"I know Ron, I know" She answered, kissing him chastely on the lips. "I'll see you soon". And with that said she grabbed a bit of floo powder and got into the chimney, which took her directly to Harry's quite disorganized office.

Once he was sure Hermione had arrived at her destination, Ron quickly headed over to the kitchen and finished washing the potatoes. Instead of putting them in the oven though, a machine he still was unable to understand, he took out his wand and cooked them the same way Hermione had done with the pita dough. "She's always saying to not overuse magic and then goes on and makes _me_ use the blasted machine while _she_ gets to use her wand" He muttered as he put the potatoes on a plate and summoned a bowl.

"Okay… the sauce. Remember Ron, what sauce were we supposed to be preparing? Did she even say what sauce it was? Oh bloody hell… she did not." Ron wondered while pacing around the kitchen "Think. What sauce would Hermione eat with potatoes… pumpkin sauce? No, definitely not. Gravy? That could work… But she said it was new! Bloody damn sauce!" Throwing his hands in the air in exasperation he decided to do something else and hope an idea would come to mind, and in the worst case scenario, the sauce wasn't really that important…right? He got his wand out again and put some new tablecloths on the living room table, got some glasses and tableware and set it on top of the tablecloth. Now that the table was set all that was left to do was figure out how he was supposed to prepare a sauce. He looked around the kitchen hoping to find something that could give him a clue as to what sauce he was supposed to make, but the only thing he found was Otter.

"Do you know what sauce I have to cook?" He asked the cat, desperate for an answer. Otter meowed and looked at him with a blank stare. "Of course you wouldn't. I wish mum was here…" Suddenly his brain clicked, and an idea started to formulate in his mind. Rapidly, as to not lose any more time, he rushed to the living room and got some floo power, stepped inside the Chimney and threw the powder to the floor while saying "The Burrow!"

After a few dizzying seconds he landed on the fireplace of his old home. He got the soot out of his shoulders and looked right and left but his mom wasn't there. Instead he found his dad, sitting on an armchair and looking at him with an edition of the _Daily Prophet_ on his lap.

"Well hello there son, I wasn't expecting to see you today" He stated while reaching for the cup of coffee on a nearby table and taking a sip. "What brings you around?"

"Erm… do you know where mum is?" Ron said. He stepped out of the chimney and got closer to his dad. "I need to ask her a question. It's urgent" He added.

"Oh, I see. She's in the kitchen, I am sure you still remember where that is" Mr. Weasley responded, motioning to the door with his free hand anyway. Ron immediately headed there, not caring to answer his dad. "Nice to see you too Ron!" Arthur said with a chuckle.

His mother was, indeed, in the kitchen, preparing what looked like a pudding. She was waving her wand around as the sugar started pouring itself into a bowl. Once she was finished she turned around and faced Ron. She made a small jump and squeak in surprise but quickly recovered.

"Oh Ron, why didn't you warn me you were here!" She asked, putting a hand over her heart "You almost gave me a heart attack. Oh and why didn't you say you were coming beforehand! I would have prepared something. Is Hermione with you dear, I could make something small for you now if you want? Tea?" She had already summoned the kettle and was starting to pour some water in it.

"Mum! No, I don't want tea! Just stop!" Ron said. He was starting to get nervous. Time was running out and he needed to get home soon. Harry could only keep Hermione occupied for so long, plus they had not agreed on how much time was needed so Hermione could actually arrive at any minute. And if she saw that he wasn't home the surprise would be ruined. "I just need advice on something"

"Oh sorry dear. What is it?"

"Well, I wanted to prepare supper for Hermione today, and she said she wanted to eat potatoes with some sort of sauce, but I have no idea what sauce I should cook. And I also don't know when she's going to get home. Mum please you _have_ to tell me which sauce she wants." He pleaded.

"Ronnie dear, I can't read Hermione's mind, she's too good at occlumency, so I don't know what she wants." She answered calmly. Before Ron could interrupt though, she continued "But, if you're looking for a sauce to go with potatoes I would say you could use the onion sauce. It's quite easy to prepare, even for you." She said while she resumed working on the pudding.

"That's it? That simple? Onion sauce?" Ron asked incredulous. How on Merlin's beard had he not thought of that? "Thanks mom" He added. Satisfied with the answer, albeit a bit annoyed, he started to head to the living room when his mother stopped him.

"Wait Ron! Would you like to take a bit of pudding with you? I am sure Hermione will like it" Mrs. Weasley had already cut a piece of the pudding and put it in a small box which she was offering to Ron. He grabbed it and with a quick thanks and goodbye he flooed home.

"Okay, that's all" Ron muttered as he looked at the table. It was neatly set, with two different platters on the middle, one with the potatoes (and a heating charm) and another with the four pitas. He had also added two bowls, the bigger one contained a salad as well as a small wooden spoon and the smaller one had the onion sauce which Ron had managed to make in a decently short amount of time. Everything was perfectly set. Now the only thing left to do was wait for Hermione to arrive.  
As if on cue, a sound was heard in the chimney and Hermione stepped out, hair a little wild and soot all over it. Not noticing what Ron had prepared, she shook the soot out of her shoulders and tried to fix her hair a bit. Once she was sure everything was perfect, she started taking off her coat and put her gaze on where Ron was standing.

"Surprise!" He said, waving his wand slightly so that a few silver lights appeared around the table. "I thought maybe it would be best if I finished supper while you were away so that we could start eating earlier. Do you like it?"

"Oh Ron… thank you" Hermione said. She put her coat on the sofa and approached Ron. "Who knew you were able of doing such a thing?" She added before hugging him.

"Oy! I am capable of doing this, I just don't usually do it so it'll be a surprise every time" He said, smirking. After a few more seconds they ended the hug and sat on their respective seats. They started eating in silence, there was no need to talk. Hermione was amazed when she saw how well cooked the potatoes were and even more so when she realised the sauce she was eating was onion sauce, exactly the one she had been planning on making.

"Hey Ron, how did you manage to cook these potatoes so perfectly" Hermione asked once she had finished eating. She had been thinking about it for a while and had come to the conclusion that either he had been very lucky or the potatoes were just cooked using magic.

"Well. You see… I didn't have much time and I have no idea how to use that oven thingy… so I kind of cooked them with my wand?" He said trying to use the same face Hugo put whenever he was in trouble. When Hermione saw that though, she just started laughing. Which caused Ron to laugh as well.

"Oh Ron… only you would do that" Hermione said in between laughs.

"But that's why you love me" Ron added with a smile. "Oh! I almost forgot!" He exclaimed suddenly. He got up and headed towards the kitchen. When he came back a moment later he was holding a plate with two small slices of pudding on them. "I went to mom's earlier and she insisted we try the pudding she was making" He explained as he put the plate on the middle of the table.

"Are you sure she had to insist? Or were you just really eager to accept?" Hermione said as she took a small piece of her slice and ate it. "Remind me to thank your mom later". Halfway through the pudding, Ron decided it was time to bring up his desired topic of conversation.

"You know, when I went to Hogwarts to give Rosie her outfit" He ingored Hermione's exclamation of 'you went to Hogwarts?!' and continued talking "I was able to see the planning for the Yule Ball of this year. It is quite incredible, I am sure the kids will enjoy themselves. The decorations for the Great Hall are incredibly ingenious and they even hired some workers from George's shop to come and spice the night up a bit"

"Well, if it is as incredible as you put it we won't have to worry about Rose, just Hugo. Merlin knows what mischief he'll get himself into." Hermione was already imagining the letter form headmistress McGonagall informing her of her son's suspension for Merlin knows how long. Ron though, wanted to steer the conversation through a different path.

"I would be more worried about who Rosie's partner will be. I bet it will be Scorpius. I know he's different from his father but he's a boy, and you can never trust those, especially at a Yule Ball." He commented, glad with himself that he had managed to find a way to introduce the exact topic he wanted to talk about without it sounding too suspicious.

"Oh come on Ron! You know Scorpius is a nice kid. At least he is more decent than you were back in the day" She said jokingly, remembering how Ron didn't even have the courage to ask her out as his date for the exact same event.

"Hey! If I had the chance to do it all over again I would do it right this time!" Ron exclaimed smiling. He had her right where he wanted, all he needed was that smart sounding 'Oh really?' that was sure to come out of her mouth and he would have a free path towards his destination. In a few seconds these same words were uttered and Ron immediately answered.

"Yes. In fact, I want to ask you something" He got up and neared her seat. Just for the sake of it, he knelt down on one knee and took her hand.

"Blimey Hermione! Your hand is cold!" He exclaimed, making her laugh "Anyway. When I went to Hogwarts today I also got the chance to speak with McGonagall. And yes, I did warn her about Hugo. Apart from that she told me something that I still have to tell the whole of Dumbledore's Army. We are invited to this year's Yule Ball as special guests." Hermione couldn't help but smile at this, anticipating what was about to come "And seeing as, as you so greatly said a few moments ago, I was kind of a dickhead back in the day and didn't have the guts to do what I should have done, I thought I would take this golden second chance to ask you a question" He stopped for a dramatic pause and then continued "Hermione, will you go to the Yule Ball with me?" He asked, kissing her hand for a comic effect. Hermione did indeed laugh at that and did so even more when he exclaimed, for the second time, how cold her hands were.

"Of course I will Ron" Hermione answered smiling. She leaned down and kissed him. "So, we can finally establish that it has taken you 21 years to gather enough courage to ask me out?" She said teasingly.

"Hey! I will have you remember that I have asked you out several times before and all of them required a tremendously big amount of courage" Ron remarked, getting up and leading her to the sofa. "Besides, I had to wait for the perfect moment" He added while cleaning the table with a flick of his wand.

They sat on the sofa for the remaining of the night, talking about Yule Balls and Christmas and what presents they could get the kids this year. Eventually Otter jumped up the sofa and settled in between them, happily accepting the gentle caresses that Ron offered while Hermione was distracted with a book. They both fell asleep thinking of how, finally, they could transform a saddening memory into a more pleasant one. Unfortunately for them, they hadn't taken Hugo into account.

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 **So... yeah, that's it. I hope you had a good time reading it. I want to apoogise for any gramatical or spelling mistakes as well as the "OOCness" of the two characters. Anyway, Happy Christmas! (Again). I wish you the greatests of holidays and hope the best for you and all your friends and family.**

 **2nameless2write**


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